“Of course.”
“From now on, she receives five-star treatment, as will everyone who accompanies her. Any time she sets foot on our property, I want a guard assigned to her. You’re in charge of deciding who the most qualified candidates are among your team. The others will take over their duties for as long as she’s in the club. I don’t anticipate she’ll be making frequent appearances in the immediate future, but I willnothave another incident like the one earlier this evening.”
“Understood,” the dark-haired gentleman said. “I’ll make the arrangements this evening and notify my people.”
“Whatever she orders, we provide. If we don’t have it, we get it. Joy Lockwood is now a top-tier customer, so if she orders a sweet tea, you’ll make her the most elegant presentation of delicious tea she’s ever had.” Atticus gestured to the paper. “These are new dishes I want added to the menu. The rest is my personal shopping list. I also need you to order me a new bottle of cologne. You know the kind I like.”
“As you wish.”
“Give the staff a refresher about preventing violent outbreaks—the bartenders especially. I also want bouncers present at all times of day, so we’ll need to hire two or three more people who meet the qualifications. This isn’t about our reputation; it’s about protecting customers. Do you have any questions?”
“No, sir.” With a quick bow, Yuri hastily left the room.
Atticus despised doing his own shopping. In olden times, people traded at public markets for foods they didn’t have: meat, bread, spices, and vegetables. You were lucky if they weren’t rotted or spoiling. Now a person could spend three hours in the canned-food section alone deciding on soup that had questionable ingredients. The variations confused him, asdid where to find what he needed. While Atticus didn’t require food, he occasionally enjoyed it. So Yuri handled all his personal shopping and was handsomely rewarded.
After retrieving a handkerchief from his drawer, Atticus wiped off his ink-stained hand and then scooped the pen fragments into a wastebasket.
Though his life was marked by different phases, the past few centuries had been dedicated to typical Vampire work: charming men for information, bodyguard positions, scrubbing memories, torturing, killing. People paid well for those services, and he’d excelled at them. Atticus had left his violent past behind, but in the past few hours, his self-restraint had been tested. While troublemakers in clubs were a common occurrence, his staff was skilled at more than just plating food. That’s why he was especially disappointed with the bartender who had either missed or ignored the altercation.
He gazed up at the ceiling.
I really need to stop obsessing over a woman who despises me.
Joy’s pupils always dilated in his presence, and her heart raced. Every subtle fluctuation in her breathing and speech implied fear. That dashed any hope he had of winning her trust, and the first tendril of rejection weaved around his heart.
Atticus scrolled through the contact list on his phone and stopped at Tak’s number.
“Hey, Atticus,” Tak said. “What’s going on?”
“The usual.” Atticus smiled and leaned back in the chair. “How’s the property treating you?”
“Good. Always work to be done. I haven’t been to Dragonfly’s in a while, have I?”
“That’s not why I called. A few of your packmates were in here a while ago.”
“Were they causing trouble? Who was it?”
Atticus stared at his ink-stained fingers. “The trouble fell onthem. An unfortunate incident occurred between one of the customers and Ms. Lockwood.”
“Joy? What kind of incident?”
“An altercation. She was slapped in the face.”
Tak growled what could only be a curse word in his native language. “Tell me what jackass had the balls to put his hands on my people.”
“I took care of the matter, and he’s blacklisted. I’ll let Calvin know so he can do the same. She’s on her way home, but I wanted you to hear it from me first. Ms. Lockwood is all right, but I think it would be best if she had some tea and put her feet up. Anxiety isn’t healthy for a woman in her condition.”
A stretch of silence followed. “She told you?”
“I’m a Vampire, and pregnancy isn’t something a person can conceal from me. Your pack’s business is their own, but I’m calling to make sure we’re on amicable terms. I’ve already implemented changes to security so nothing like this will happen again with Joy or any other woman. Speaking of expectant women, I haven’t seen Hope around lately. I trust she’s in good health?”
“Hope prefers remaining home with her family during this time.”
“Of course. Should she need anything—anything at all—don’t hesitate to ask. I can cater a dinner at your home to make up for tonight’s unpleasant affair.”
“Do I need to worry about this becoming a regular occurrence? If my women aren’t safe in your club, I can’t encourage them to go.”
Atticus stood and rounded his desk. “You have my word it won’t happen again.” He hesitated on how much he wanted to get involved but decided to speak up anyhow. “May I be frank?”
